Slain Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny’s memoirs, which he wrote while in prison, are due to be published in October, The New York Times reported Thursday.
In the book, entitled Patriot, Navalny writes about his life, political activities, his family and children, the attempts on his life and the attacks on his loved ones, according to the New York Times report.
The publisher, Knopf, said Navalny began writing his memoirs in 2020 after surviving a poisoning attempt using the Soviet-manufactured nerve agent Novichok. He continued to work on the manuscript in prison, and his widow Yulia Navalnaya is now working with the publisher to edit the book.
“Through its pages, readers will come to know the man I loved deeply — a man of profound integrity and unyielding courage,” Navalnaya said in a statement. “Sharing his story will not only honour his memory but also inspire others to stand up for what is right and to never lose sight of the values that truly matter.”
The first print run of 500,000 copies will be released simultaneously in multiple countries and languages, including Russian.
The Russian prison service announced Navalny’s sudden death in prison on 16 February, though his body was only released to his family on 24 February. During that time, the authorities had demanded the family agree to have Navalny buried in secret, threatening to bury him at the prison where he was killed. The funeral service finally went ahead in Moscow on 1 March.
